Microscale gas breakdown: ion-enhanced field emission and the modified Paschen’s curve

Gas breakdown at microscale dimensions has been of great interest to the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and plasma communities for nearly 15 years as the first reports of deviations from traditional theory began to emerge. Since those first reports, a significant amount of work has investigated why gas breakdown deviates from the classic Paschen's Law when the dimensions are in the range of 1–10 µ m. Nearly universally, these deviations that form the so-called modified Paschen's curve have been attributed to electron field emission, where electrons directly tunnel from the cathode into the gas due to the very high electric fields at microscale dimensions. Furthermore, because of ionization in the gas gap, field emission is enhanced by positive ions and thus is inherently coupled to the gas and discharge dynamics. Progress in understanding the mechanisms and physics of this process has in turn led to new ideas and devices that capitalize on the high surface-to-volume ratio in microscale dimensions and take advantage of cathode emission processes. This topical review summarizes and analyzes the numerous experimental, computational and analytical works on breakdown at microscale dimensions, discusses implications and new areas emerging in microscale devices that take advantage of field emission and presents perspectives looking ahead at new opportunities for field emission-driven microplasmas.